People are ‘most attractive’ after one drink

Drinking a moderate amount of alcohol makes you appear more attractive to others, a new study has found.

Research at Bristol University found that the intake of a single alcoholic drink could make people seem more attractive

Research at Bristol University found that the intake of a single alcoholic drink could make people seem more attractive due to the relaxation of facial muscles, dilating pupils and flushed cheeks – indicating good physical health characteristics.

The study, published in the journal Alcohol and Alcoholism, required a group of sober students to rate photographs of another group of 40 students who had consumed different levels of alcohol based on how attractive they looked.

Researchers photographed their faces three times: when sober, after drinking one glass of wine, and then after drinking a second alcoholic drink.

Photographs taken after just one drink, equivalent to 250 ml of wine at 14% alcohol by volume for a 70 kg individual, were judged as more attractive than sober photos.

However, the pictures of students after they had consumed more than one glass were rated less attractive than when they were sober.

“It suggests that, if it’s true, people are rated as more attractive once they’ve consumed a small amount of alcohol,” said the study’s senior researcher and professor of biological psychology, Marcus Munafò.”But if they go on to consume more alcohol, they’re no longer rated as more attractive.”